Cement-block-molding machine.



L. F. POWANZ.

CEMENT BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15. I915. L1 98,395., Patented Aug. 29, 19116.

L. F. POWANZ. CEMENT BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICAI HJN FILED OCT. 5. |9|5| 1 11L fifigfi. Patented Aug. 29, 1.916.

L. F. POWANZ.

CEMENT BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATQN FILED OCT. 5 1915- 1 1!. 96,395 a. Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

anoa/wto o LOUIS F. POWANZ, 01? DENVER, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 11916.

Application filed October 15, 1915. Serial No. 56,041.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS F. PowANz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Worth and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Cement-Blook-Molding Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved cement block molding machine, and an object of the invention is to provide a device of this nature, in which improved features of construction are involved.

One of the features of construction consists of a mold box supported upon a frame and provided with downwardly swinging side and end pieces having cam members on their exterior faces, in combination with a vertically movable frame mounted in guides of the first frame, which vertically movable frame is provided with an upper rectangu lar portion to cam against said cam members to close the side and end pieces, upon upwardly vertical movement of the second frame.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of means for raising the second frame, in combination with a spring tensioned device to automatically catch into engagement with the second frame to support the same in a raised position, until the block becomes thoroughly set.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of members upon the side and end pieces to be contacted with by the upper rectangular portion of the second frame on its downward movement in order to relieve the tendency of the side and end pieces to adhere to the plastic material of the block.

In practical fields the details of construction may necessitate alterations, falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawingsz Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the improved molding machine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avplan view of the machine showing a part broken away. Fig. 4: is a sectional view on line H of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the mold box detached. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the mold box, showing the side and end pieces swung open.

Referring more especially to the draw ings, a rectangular frame, which may be any other suitable shape or configuration, is provided with a plastic material container 2 upon its upper part. This container is inclined slightly so that the plastic material may be easily pushed out through the outlet passage 3 into the mold box l. Pivoted in the outlet 3 is a guide hopper 5, which consists of the end pieces 6, the smaller ends of which are connected by the transverse bar 7. The wider ends of the end pieceS are connected by the transverse bar 8. When it is desired to force the plastic material or cement from the container into the mold box, the guide hopper is swung over upon the mold box as shown in Fig. 2, after which the plastic material is shoved down the inclined bottom of the container, through the outlet 3 and is guided into the mold box 4 by the hopper, the end pieces 6 acting to prevent the plastic material from spilling over the ends of the mold box. The forward portion of the frame is provided with the uprights or standards 9, the upper ends of which are connected by the bars 10, to the upper edges of which the bottom 11 of the mold box 1 is secured at 12. The bottom 11 is provided with central openings through which the vertical core members 14 extend, that is, when molding the cement block. tom 11 are transversely disposed cleats or strips 15, to the ends of which the cleats 16 upon the outer faces of the sides 17 of the mold box are pivoted, as shown at 18. One of .the sides 17 upon its inner face is plain and smooth, so that the face of the block formed by this side will form the inner face of the wall. However, the inner face of the other side 17 is provided witha face plate Secured to the under face of the bot shapes. In otherwords, the face plate 19 may be removed, and any one of various styles of face plates may be substituted The ends of the bottom 11 are provided with ears 21, through which the rods 22 ex-- tend, and upon which rods the cleats 23 of the end pieces 24 are pivoted, so that the end pieces 24 may swing downwardly. One of the end pieces 24 is provided with a face plate 25, which is formed with a vertical bulge or bead 26 semi-circular in cross section, so that the block will be formed wlth a vertical groove upon one of its ends,

so as to receive a correspondingly shaped tongue upon the end of an ad acent block. The other end piece 24 is provided with a face plate27, which-is provided with a vertical'elongated' groove semi-circular 1n cross section so that a tongue will be formed upon 7 the block at its other end, to enter a correspondingly shaped groove'upon the adjacent block. When forming the blocks, that are to be used at the corners or ends of a building or a wall, these face plates 25 and 27 may be eliminated, and plain face plates (not shown) substituted. Secured to the side and end pieces of the boX are angular arms 30. Secured to the cleats 16 and 23 are angular cam bars ormembers 32. Guided between the bars 10 and adjacent the uprights or standards ,9 are vertical movable slide bars 33, upon the upper ends of which a rectangular frame 34 is supported, and which frame 34 is braced relative to the bars 35 by means of the rods 36. The bars 35 connect the lower ends of the slide bars 33,

and are long enough to overlie the uprights.

or standards 9, so as to more accurately guide the slide bars 33'. Also secured between the side bars are the standards 37. Secured between the upper ends of the standars 37 are the projections 39 of the core members or blocks 40, by means of the transverse bolt 41, there being a block 42 between the projections 39 of said core members. Pivoted at 43 upon the rod 44 at the rear lower portion of the frame are the arms 45, the ends of which engage under the bars'35. Mounted in suitable bearings of the transverse bars 46 of the frame is a hollow shaft 47 having an elbow connection 48 at one end, into which elbow connection 48 a lever arm 49 is threaded, so as to rock the hollow shaft'47. Eccentrically mounted upon and movable with the hollow shaft 47 are drums-50, to which one end 51 of each of the cables or chains 52 is connected, the other end of each of the'cables or chains 52 is connected at 53 to one of the arms 45. It is to be noted that upon manip- 35'are so raised, it is to be observed that the core members 40 are correspondingly raised, so as to protrude through the openings of the bottom of the box or mold. lVhen the frame 34 is raised with the slide bars 33, the sides and ends of the frame 34 cam against the cam members or bars 32, thereby closing or throwing the side and end pieces of the mold or box to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the mold may receive the plastic material from the container. After the plastic material in the mold or box becomes firm and thoroughly set, the movable frame consisting of the frame 4 the bars 35, 33 and 37, may be lowered. As the frame 34 lowers, it is to be observed that the side and end pieces of said frame 34 will contact with the angular end of the arms 30, which will overcome the tendency of the sides and ends of the box or mold adhering to the plastic material of the block, and will throw the sides and ends of the mold or box downwardly to the positions shown in Fig. 6. hen said movable frame is lowered the core members 40 will be withdrawn from the blocks, and owing to the plastic material having been deposited on the pallet 55 upon the bottom of the mold or box, the block may be easily removed from the mold, by sliding the pallet laterally or endwise from off the bottom of the mold, after which the pallet with the block thereon may be set aside in some suitable place whereby it may thoroughly dry and harden. After tilting the guide hopper over to the position shown in Fig. 2, and shoving the plastic material into the mold, the material may be compacted thoroughly by some suitable tamper or the like, and smoothed off upon its upper surface.

Secured to the base beam 56 of theforward part of the frame is a plate 58, be tween the forks of which a catch 59 is pivoted, as shown at 60. A wire or cable 61 is connected to the catch lever 59, which causing the movable frame to lower by gravitation. The catch lever 59 is thrown forwardly against the action of the spring 63.

The coil spring 69 (which connects the lever arm and the rear bar of the frame) constitutes means to assist in throwing the lever arm 49 from its dotted line position to its full line position, as shown in Fig. 1.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is 1. In a block molding machine, a frame having uides, a mold box on one end of they C 0 I v I frame having plvoted slde and end pieces adapted to swing outwardly and downwardly, a movable frame mounted in the guide and having means designed to cam the pivoted sides and ends to closed positions to permit the mold box to receive plastic material, and manually operated means for moving the movable frame, and a spring tensioned catch lever having a shoulder designed to automatically engage a part of the movable frame when reaching the limit of its movement to support said frame, said spring tensioned catch lever including a member designed to receive pressure to release the shoulder from engagement with the movable frame to permit the movable frame to lower by gravitation.

2. In a block molding machine, a frame having guides, a mold box on one end of the frame having pivoted side and end pieces designed to swing upwardly and downwardly, a movable frame mounted in said guides and having an upper rectangular frame portion to surround the mold box when the sides and ends are closed, and cam members upon the sides and ends to be engaged simultaneously by the sides and ends of the upper frame portion to close the side and end pieces of the mold box, and angular arms upon the side and end pieces of the mold box designed to be engaged by the upper rectangular frame portion of the movable frame to open the side and end pieces of the mold box, means for raising the movable frame, a spring tensioned device de signed to engage a part of the movable frame to hold it supported in a raised position, said spring tensioned device adapted to be manipulated against the action of its spring tensioned means to permit the movable frame to lower by gravitation.

3. In a block molding machine, a frame having: guide posts, a pair of bars arranged '111- parallelism and connectlng the upper ends of the guide post, a mold box supported upon said parallel bars and having hingedsides and end pieces designed to swing downwardly, the outer portions of the sides andends having angular cam bars,

a movable frame consisting of end posts slidably mounted between the parallel bars and adjacent the guide' p'ost, a rectangular frame portion on the upper ends of said end posts and fitting around the sides and ends of the mold box to cam against said angular cam bars to close the sides and ends when the movable frame is moved upwardly, parallel bars connecting the lower ends of the end posts of the movable frame and having their ends overlying said guide posts, to steady and more accurately guide the movable frame, braces for the rectangular frame portion, pivoted bars having their lower ends engaging under the last named parallel bars to raise the movable frame, means for actuating the pivoted bars, a spring-tensioned catch lever having a shoulder to engage one of the last named parallel bars to support the movable frame when raised, said spring-tensioned catch lever having an arm to be engaged by the foot of the operator to actuate the catch lever to disengage said shoulder, allowing the movable frame to lower by gravitation.

4. In a block molding machine, a frame having guide posts, a pair of bars arranged in parallelism and connecting the upper ends of the guide posts, a mold box support ed upon said parallel bars and having hinged sides and end pieces designed to swing downwardly, the outer portions of the sides and ends having angular cam bars, a movable frame consisting of end posts slidably mounted between the parallel bars and adjacent the guide post, a rectangular frame portion on the upper ends of said end posts and fitting around the sides and ends of the mold box to cam against said angular cam bars to close the sides and ends when the movable frame is moved upwardly, parallel bars connecting the lower ends of the end posts of the movable frame and having their ends overlying said guide posts, to steady and more accurately guide the movable frame, braces for the rectangular'frame portion, pivoted bars having their lower ends engaging under the last named parallel bars to raise the movable frame, means for actuating the pivoted bars, a spring-tensioned catch lever having a shoulder to engage one of the last named parallel bars to support the movable frame when raised, said spring-tensioned catch lever having an arm to be engaged by the foot of the operator to actuate the catch lever to disengage said shoulder, allowing the movable frame to lower by gravitation, the sides and ends j In-testim'ony whereof I have signed my adjacent their hinged edges having: a latername to this specification in the presence of 10 ally extelndir'g arm to be engagedh by the two subscribing witnesses. rectangu ar raIne portion when t e movr 5 able frame is lowered to open the side and LOUIS POWANZ' end; pieces, and core members; carried by the Witnesses:

last named parallel bars to penetrate up- JEssE C. MILLER, wardly through the bottom ofthe mold box. CHAS. J ONAGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained, for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl, Washingtomb. 0. 

